Starstruck
by Brainyxbat
Summary: When Shenzi Johnson goes to receive an autograph from her favorite one-time movie star, their lives are changed forever.
1. Prologue

**(A/N: I'm having writer's block for "Could It Be" and "Forever and Always", and I had this idea that I decided to start on.)**

 **(A/N: Important note! Shenzi's parents here are Jack and Maya Johnson! Felicia and Friar Tuck are her adoptive aunt and uncle, while Frankie is her cousin! Okay, note over; enjoy!)**

* * *

 **Starstruck**

Prologue

* * *

Freshly-turned-12-year-old Shenzi Tuck was browsing the website for the Big Mall on her laptop on a nice, lazy, early September Sunday, while lounging in her pajamas: Minnie Mouse Halloween nightshirt, and teal Hello Kitty slippers. She was going on a big shopping trip with her mother tomorrow, and wanted a little recap on what was there. Kohls? Check! Claire's? Gotta go! Disney? Obviously! Hot Topic? Duh! Sanrio? Absolutely! She and her mother shared a strong, mutual love for that store, and overall franchise, as well as Disney. Both stores were frequent stops for the two of them.

She was about to look over the food court when something caught her eye: A special event! It read "Mandrake Waltz signing autographs, this Saturday, 12:00 to 2:00 PM, at FYE!" Associated with the advertisement was the usual clipart of the character/actor referred to. Shenzi's eyes widened so much, she thought they would fall out, as her jaw almost dropped down to her keyboard. Mandrake Waltz was her favorite actor of all time! She _had_ to meet him! "Oh my God!" She shrieked with excitement, and charged downstairs like a rocket, laptop in hand. "Mom! Mom! Mom!"

"Shenzi!" Maya Johnson dashed in the living room from the kitchen, with a mixing spoon in one hand and wearing an apron. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm awesome! Lookit!" She practically shoved her laptop in Maya's face, making her flinch back in surprise, but she was too ecstatic to notice.

"Mandrake Waltz is signing autographs at our mall? That's very exciting! You hoping to go?"

"You bet!" Shenzi nodded, and with a squeal and little hop of joy, she ran back to her room.

"Be careful with your computer, honey! You don't want to drop it!"

"I am, Mom! Don't worry!" She was back in her bed, where she grabbed her iPhone off her nightstand, contacted her best friend, Kimi Finster, and waited eagerly for an answer. "Kimi, look at the Big Mall website right now!"

"Why, what's the emergency?" She heard Kimi typing from the other line.

"Just look in special events!"

She waited as Kimi typed and clicked her mouse, then heard her voice again. "Wow, that's awesome! You going to go to that signing?"

"You bet I am!"

"You going to ask him to sign that poster you got for your birthday?"

"Yep!"

"Hey, maybe you guys will become best friends," Kimi joked.

"If only," Shenzi giggled, "But not in a million years." Don't speak too soon! "If that happens, I'll sleep in a cemetery."

Kimi giggled at that. "I'll tag along with you, to keep your sporadic behavior in check."

"Sporadic?" The young Goth stifled laughter. "You mean ecstatic?"

"Right; that's what I meant."

"I'm not going to be a spaz."

"How can you know that? You heard how excited Lil was about meeting Neil Stanton."

"... You've got a point there. Okay, you can come with me."

"Alright! So uh, what else is going on?"

"Well tomorrow, Mom and I are shopping at the mall together."

"Getting away from your dad again?"

"Yeah," Shenzi nodded, her voice slightly lower in volume.

"Um, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's okay, it's fine."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Well um, I'd better go. Mom's calling me for supper."

"'Kay, bye!"

"See you around!"

"You too!"

They hung up, then Shenzi selected another number. "Lil, guess what!"

"You mean that signing this Saturday? I saw the ad! You going?"

"Absolutely!" Shenzi let out an excited squeal, but was cut short by the front door opening and closing.

"What is it? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. My dad just came in, and he... doesn't like loud noises, so I keep it down for him." Only Kimi knew Shenzi's deep, dark secret, and swore to not tell anyone.

"Ah, gotcha."

"But still, I'm so excited! I'm gonna bring that big poster over there for him to sign."

"You mean that one you got on your birthday?"

"Uh huh! Kimi's going with me, to ensure that I keep my cool."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I for one, was cool as a cucumber when I met Neil Stanton."

"Uhhh huh," Shenzi smirked to herself.

"What?"

"Just kidding," She giggled, "So um, I'm going to the Big Mall with my mom tomorrow for a little spree."

"Really? Mom and I are too! Maybe we'll run into you guys!"

"Maybe," She shrugged, "Well, I'd better go. Mom ought to be done with the spaghetti any minute now."

"Alright. I'll possibly see you tomorrow!"

"You too!" Shenzi hung up, then set her phone back on the nightstand, and looked back at the website on her laptop. She stuffed her face in one of her pillows to muffle her squeal of joy. She couldn't believe she was going to meet her favorite actor! He may have been in only one movie, but it was her favorite, and she liked him the most, with his villain status. He held a special place in her heart ever since she watched the movie in the theater with Maya, and before long, that place would become even more special.

During dinner, Shenzi expressed her excitement for the signing through bites of her spaghetti. Her father, Jack Johnson, couldn't care less about his daughter's happiness, although Maya showed more than enough support. "Jack, can't you be happy for her? She's so excited about meeting this guy, and all you've got to say is 'Anything else new'?"

"It's hard to be happy when all you hear is "Mandrake this", "Mandrake that"."

"He's her _favorite actor,_ and she's going to _meet him!_ What _else_ do you expect her to talk about?!"

"Something else!"

Shenzi stayed quiet as she nervously stuffed noodles and tomato sauce in her mouth. She tried to lose herself in the wonderful taste, as her parents argued loudly about her. All of a sudden, just after she shoveled more in, the back of her head was suddenly struck by a strong, large hand, so her face fell in her pasta. She instantly regretted sitting close to her father. "Jack Johnson!" Maya stood up with a furious yell. "What is the matter with you?!"

"Um, I-I'll be right back," Shenzi excused herself, and dashed to the bathroom to clean the sauce and noodles out of her long bangs, which covered the left side of her face, and wipe off her thick, black eyeglasses.

That's the secret she's hiding from Lil, and pretty much the entire student/faculty body at her school, with the exception of Kimi: Her father is physically, and verbally abusive towards her. And even to her mother as well, so she preferred unjustifiably taking the heat herself over Maya getting hurt for her. How did Kimi find out? She accidentally walked in on Jack yelling at Shenzi for spilling a little water on the kitchen floor. He had forced her to wipe it, even after she had started doing just that. She then confessed everything to Kimi, who had been at her house for a sleepover, and made her swear to secrecy. She couldn't be sent away by Child Service, and leave her beloved mother at his mercy, so she beared through it all until she would be old enough to not be sent off. That was quite a ways away, but she didn't care. Of course she never said any of this to anyone, not even her best friend.

"Shen?" She looked up from the faucet, and saw Maya holding the bowl she left untouched, along with her fork. "You can finish eating in your room, if you want. Just be careful to not spill."

"Thanks Mom," She took the bowl in her hands with a little smile, and headed for the stairs.

"I'm sorry about your father."

"Um, it-it's fine. It didn't get on my shirt or anything, or in my eye."

"Good. But um, just to not set him off so he won't hurt you again, how about you keep this signing to yourself until then? When we go out tomorrow, just the two of us, you can talk about it all you want."

"Okay," She nodded, setting her bowl on her nightstand, "Thanks Mom."

"Anytime, sweetie," Maya kissed her cheek, which had been wiped clean, then left the room.

Once she was alone, Shenzi started eating again while sitting on her bed, feeling tranquility. She was lucky that her fork didn't stab through her cheek from inside her mouth, or puncture her throat! She made a vow to keep her distance from Jack during supper from now on. She couldn't help but smirk as she thought of a quote from one of her favorite TV shows, iCarly: "She said forks are dangerous, and that I could 'stab my tongue'." She was lucky to have avoided that as well. She did feel her fork on the roof of her mouth, but after some checking, she figured out that it was only grazed, not hurt.

After finishing and stashing her freshly rinsed bowl and fork in the dishwasher, she escaped back to her room, and smiled at the poster that hung in front of her bed. It was 27 by 40 inches, with a black backdrop, white text reading "Epic Adventure", the logo for the movie and studio, and most of all, a profile picture of Mandrake. She smiled as she thought of how Saturday would go; she would get his autograph on that poster, or even get a picture with him if she's lucky enough! Only Kimi knew this, but Shenzi had a fangirl crush on him, and had dreamed of meeting him ever since seeing the movie trailers alone. Seeing the whole movie only cemented that life goal into her brain, but she kept it to herself. Her father would laugh and stomp on her dream, while her mother would merely tease her in a playful, harmless way. She would take that over the dream-crushing any day.

Some time later, after brushing her teeth and powering her laptop down, she fell asleep with happy thoughts.

l-l

The next day, she bounded out of bed, brushed her teeth, and dressed herself for a big, long day of shopping with Maya. They were even going to have lunch together in the food court, Shenzi taking advantage of the fact that school didn't start up again until the following Wednesday.

She put on a black v-neck t-shirt, the surprisingly casual black and purple Minnie Mouse skirt from what would be her Halloween costume, classic Converse high-tops, black double-hoop earrings, and a BFF necklace that had a pendant shaped like half a heart, and looked like a chocolate chip cookie. After grabbing her black coffin purse, Jiji the Cat shopping bag, and her phone, she dashed downstairs. Just as she was in the living room, Maya came out of the master bedroom, dressed for the day. "Ready to go, honey?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," She responded with eagerness, and the two girls headed out to the car after leaving a vague note for Jack.

"So, you're really excited for the signing?" Maya asked her daughter, who sat in the back seat for safety, after she started driving.

"Oh yeah! It'll be awesome!"

"What's he going to sign for you?"

"That big poster in my room!"

"Ah, from your last birthday. I remember it. I'll help you take it out of its frame when the time comes."

"'Kay, thanks."

After a few minutes, they parked in the parking lot, and walked into the huge shopping mall. "Alright, where to first?" Maya looked down at her.

"Hmm, what's closest?" They found the directory, where Shenzi figured out where they were. "It looks like Claire's is closest to us. They just brought in their Halloween stuff."

"Alright," Maya nodded, "Claire's it is." The screen next to the directory suddenly played an advertisement for the upcoming signing, using a clip of Mandrake from his movie, as Shenzi's eyes were glued. Maya smiled as her daughter let out a small squeal while bouncing on her heels, so it came out distorted. "Well, I guess it's official."

"Be there!" The voice on the ad exclaimed.

"I will!" Shenzi pumped her fists in the air, gaining a little attention from other mall patrons.

"Okay Shen," Maya giggled with her hands on her excited daughter's shoulders to calm her down, "Let's get our shopping done."

They were stopping at the stores that the youngest girl had mentally checked off the day before, going to Claire's first. When they walked out of Hot Topic with a bag from it and their previous stops in each hand, they saw a couple of familiar faces. "Hey, Lil!" Shenzi called out. "Lil, over here!"

"Hey, Shenzi!" Lil ran up with her own mother, Betty DeVille. Lil was wearing a burgundy red burnout varsity t-shirt with a v-neck and Mickey and Minnie Mouse stacked Tsum Tsums on the front, blue faux-fade jeggings, purple Converse low-tops, and a pink hair extension at the right side of her face, complimenting her short, brunette hair. On her shoulder was the strap to a Disney Tsum Tsums printed crossbody bag. She was the only girl in school to not have any piercings in her ears. "Hi, Mrs. Johnson!"

"Hello! And please, call me Maya," She gently insisted. "Mrs. Johnson" sounded too formal for her.

"Hey there, Johnson!" Betty practically slapped her shoulder in a friendly way.

"Hey Betty," Maya straightened up, "You and Lil shopping too?"

"We sure are! I heard your Shenzi's goin' to that signing on Saturday for that bat guy."

"You mean Mandrake?" Shenzi giggled humbly.

"That's the one!"

"I'm pretty excited for that time."

"Well um, if you and Lil don't have a plan, why don't you join us?" Shenzi nodded at that.

"Sure thing!" Betty agreed.

"Yeah!" The two daughters cheered.

"What's after this, Mom?"

"Umm," Maya looked at the map, "Looks like the Disney Store is nearby."

"Awesome!" Her daughter cheered. "Come on!"

The two Johnsons had a lot of fun shopping with the two DeVilles throughout the day. When they started getting hungry, they headed for the food court to have hamburgers from Wendy's. FYE was nearby, so Shenzi watched from a distance as early preparations were made for the signing. "You excited for that, Shenny?" Betty nudged her shoulder with her elbow.

"Yep," She nodded, "Absolutely. He's my favorite actor ever."

"He's kind of hunky," Lil remarked at seeing the cardboard cutout set up at the store.

"Isn't he?" Shenzi agreed.

"Oh boy," Betty chuckled, "Which one of you is marrying the guy?"

"Mom!" Lil blushed, as Shenzi was quiet.

"Aw relax, Lily, I'm just kidding. That dreamboat's a little old for you two."

"Yeah," Shenzi nodded with a little giggle, "I wouldn't have a chance with him in this lifetime."

"Me neither," Lil agreed.

Later on, they all had to head to their respective homes, so the four headed out to their cars. Maya's bags were in the passenger seat, while Shenzi's were simply in the seat next to her, as they headed home. "Well, I think today went well," Maya remarked.

"Yep," Shenzi agreed, "Did you see them setting up for the signing at FYE?"

"Yes I did," Her mother nodded, "It seems kind of early for it, though. Isn't it this Saturday? That's almost a whole week from now."

"Yeah," She shrugged, "I guess they're working slowly, but surely."

"That's a possibility."

At home, after avoiding Jack like a ninja, Shenzi put her new stuff away in her room, her mind occupied with the upcoming event. After dinner, she accidentally brought up said event, annoying her father into slapping her left cheek, to Maya's fury. She quickly escorted her daughter to her room, not as punishment, but for protection, and had her sit on the bed. "S-sorry Mom, I wasn't thinking. I forgot he was annoyed by me."

"No, it's not your fault, sweetie. He just has terrible, unsolvable anger issues. Trust me, I've tried very hard to fix them, but they're broken beyond repair."

"It's alright, Mom, but... thanks for at least trying."

"Anytime, honey," Maya kissed her right cheek after brushing her bangs away, "Well, it's getting late. You ought to be getting ready for bed. G'night. I love you, Shen."

"Alright," She nodded and stood up, "G'night, Mom. I love you too."

Shenzi Johnson would, from that Monday up to Friday, be a regular soon-to-be 6th-grader living her life. But on Saturday, her life was going to change forever. Change for the better.

* * *

 **(A/N: Well, there you have it. The start of the first Epic/Rugrats crossover ever! XD Here's the disclaimer; Shenzi, Maya, and Jack Johnson belong to me. Kimi, Lil, and Betty belong to Klasky-Csupo. Mandrake and Epic belong to Blue Sky Studios. Also, there's a reference to the All Grown Up episode "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" in there.)**


	2. The Signing

**(A/N: I know that I'm updating my stories one at a time, but I forgot about that, and just decided to update this story to give it a little head start. Anyway, enjoy!)**

* * *

 **Starstruck**

Ch. 1

* * *

On the big day, Shenzi put on a black Juicy Couture short-sleeved hoodie, zipped up almost fully, a black skirt with a white 50s poodle design, black and white striped knee-high socks with Hello Kitty and red bows, her classic Converse high-tops, black square cubic earrings, and her cookie half-heart necklace. After she grabbed her purse, and took her large poster out of its frame with help from Maya, they headed to the car.

On the way to the Big Mall, they picked up Kimi from her house. She wore a purple v-neck t-shirt with a black lips print, a black tutu skirt, and a black tattoo biker hoodie, all from Abbey Dawn, along with black Converse knee-highs with grey laces. In her ears were novelty earrings, one being a packet of French fries with a face on it, and one being a burger, her hair was in its usual two ponytails with red scrunchies, and she had her purse with her, which had a hand-drawn-like design with black polka dots on white, with a red bow on the black flap, and red straps. She also wore a milk half-heart necklace that went with Shenzi's, showing their friendship.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Shenzi muttered as she bounced in her seat, her poster held in her lap.

"Calm down," Kimi giggled, "You don't want to be spazzy around this guy."

"I can't help it! I'm going to see him in _person!_ I'm gonna get his autograph, and maybe even _talk_ with him!"

"Who knows?" She shrugged. "Maybe you will."

"I hope so!" She raised an eyebrow in confusion when her best friend seemed to be giving her an elevator look. "What's wrong?"

"I was just making sure you don't have any visible bruises. You don't need anyone questioning you, especially Mandrake."

"'Kay. Um, there aren't any, right?"

"I don't see any."

"Okay, thanks for checking."

"No prob."

The young Goth's heart leaped in her throat when Maya parked in front of the mall entrance. "Okay, you two have fun. Shenzi, call me when you're done. I'll be at the grocery store."

"Alright, Mom! Thanks!" Shenzi bounded of the car, with Kimi following, and they walked in as Maya drove away. They were surprised to encounter the line not a second after entering the mall. "Whoa! Long line!"

"Guess we made it before it could get insane... er," Kimi remarked, as they quickly took their places. At least, Shenzi did, as her best friend stood next to her out of line. She clutched onto her poster as she waited eagerly, but patiently for her turn.

After quite some time passed, the two friends, who surprisingly had no one behind them, were close to see the table, and a certain someone. "There he is, Kimi! There he is!" Shenzi low-key squealed while gripping her arm tightly.

"You're crushing my bicep!" Kimi threw her hands off, and rubbed her sore arm, as her excited friend was unfazed.

There at the table, in all his glory, was Mandrake Waltz in his full movie costume, writing in a notebook for a girl, who looked to be a young adult and seemed even more excited than her, and finished with a slight jab with her pen. "There you go," The young Goth almost fainted at the sweet, humble tone in his voice. He's most certainly not like this in his movie!

The older girl practically leaped across the table, and tried to shove her lips onto his, but he instinctively jumped back, as if he were accustomed to this. Even without any sort of gesture, two security guards rushed over and dragged the struggling girl away. "Let me go! Me and Mandrake are totally meant to be!"

"Okay," He chuckled after she was gone, "Who's next?"

"Oh my God, we're getting closer," Shenzi started feeling anxious when they moved in the line, "Kimi, I-I can't breathe. I'm going to faint."

"Here!" Kimi hastily took a lunch bag, and gave it to her friend, who started breathing heavily into it, so it inflated and deflated in a pattern. "There you go. Just don't act like that psychopath, and you'll be fine."

"Mm hmm," She nodded through her attempt to keep calm.

After a while, the two friends were second to last in line. At this point, Shenzi's heart was pounding so hard, she felt like it was going to burst through her ribcage, and out of her chest. She felt light-headed again, but she could only take so much bag therapy, before the smell of sushi tentacles would become too much for her. Her heart skipped a beat when the person ahead of her was done, but to her horror, before she could walk up, a security guard put up a "closed" sign in front of her! "What?! No, you can't! You can't close it now! I'm the last in line!"

"Sorry kid," The security guard said with no remorse, "That's the breaks."

"Hey, she's the guy's biggest fan! And she's not like that crazy girl that tried to kiss him!" Kimi defended her friend. "Why can't you just let her in?!"

"Closed means closed, so why don't you two little girls just..."

"Hey, hey! What's going on here?" Shenzi's throat closed up. Mandrake was standing less than a yard away!

"These two girls are trying to get in after the signing was closed."

"Actually, I'm just escorting my friend," Kimi explained, "And she was the last in line!" She looked at the guard. "Can't you let her in?"

There was silence, until Mandrake spoke up. "Come on, she is the last one," He tried to reason with the rude guard, "Can't you just let her through?"

The man sighed, then moved the sign. "Alright, go ahead."

"Thanks!"

"Follow me." Mandrake led the two girls to the table as Shenzi tried to keep her cool. "Okay so, who came here for an autograph again?" He smirked.

"Uh," Shenzi uttered out, her brain shutting down.

"She did," Kimi patted her shoulder, "She's nervous."

"T-terrified," She stammered.

"Well, no need to be scared of me. I'm not like how I am in the movie," He chuckled.

"I'll leave you two alone," Kimi walked to another section of the store, "Don't go wack, Shenzi."

"N-no worries."

"So, what have you got there?"

"Um, I, a poster, f-from my room," She unrolled it on the table, "C-can you sign it for me, um, p-please?"

"Sure I will," Mandrake grabbed the white pen, and wrote his name on the backdrop, "What's your name?"

"Um, it, it's," She stammered, as he waited patiently, "She-She..." She cleared her throat, "Shenzi Johnson."

"Shenzi? I've never heard that name before. How do you spell that?"

"It, it's S-H-E-N-Z-I," She spelled it slowly, as he wrote it down, along with her surname.

"There you go," He finished.

"Thanks!" She carefully rolled the poster up. "Okay um, I'll go find Kimi."

"Wait!" He hastily stood up, making her stop and turn back. "Um, I, I don't really have any plans after this, other than having lunch. You want to join me?"

"O-okay! I'll just find my friend first, and tell her my plans. Come with me!"

"Alright," He agreed, and escorted her in finding Kimi, who was looking in the anime section.

"Hey! How'd it go?" The Japanese girl asked her friend.

"Great! I'm going to have lunch with Mandrake!" She nodded towards him.

"Wow, really? That's awesome! After I'm done here, I'm going to call my mom to pick me up. You two have fun."

"Thanks!" With that, the two walked out of the store.

"Well uh, this is a little embarrassing, but I've never come here before today," Mandrake confessed with his hand on the back of his neck, over his bat cloak, "What do you recommend?"

"Hmm," She looked around the food court, until something caught her eye. "I know the perfect place!"

l-l

"Okay, here we go!" She set the tray on the table. "Here's the change from what you gave me."

"Oh no, you keep that."

"What? I can't take your..."

"It's fine, really," He insisted.

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. Just think of it as me thanking you for recommending this place."

"Well um, a-anytime, and thanks." She sat down at the chair across from his, and started eating from Chipotle taco kit, as he took a bite out of his burrito. "How is it?" She asked him after swallowing.

"It's great," He nodded with a bit of surprise in his voice.

"That's good," A little shy smile grew on her face, "I know this isn't fancy, but..."

"You kidding? I don't like eating at fancy places. That's for uptight, pompous royals," He joked.

She laughed at that. "True."

"Have you ever eaten anywhere like that?"

"Umm, does Red Robins count?"

"I don't think so."

"Then no," She shrugged, "It and Outback Steakhouse are the fanciest I've eaten at, and they aren't even that formal."

"Ah."

"So um, I have this question for you."

"What is it?"

"Is Dagda really your son? Or is he just so in the movie?"

"He really is," Mandrake nodded.

"Cool! I loved his parts in the movie. It's too bad he died that early, though."

"Yeah," He shrugged, "Dagda's just not one to be in front of the camera."

"Ah," She nodded.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No," She shook her head, "I'm an only child."

"Hey, you!" They looked, and saw that crazy girl from before. "He's mine, you little skunk!" To his shock, she pushed Shenzi to the ground!

"Hey! What was that?!" He exclaimed angrily. "She wasn't doing anything wrong!"

The young Goth stood up, now angry. "Okay lady, you and I are going to have a problem if you don't get out of here." Although a security guard came, and escorted the older girl away, as Shenzi fixed her chair. "Phew. Thank goodness that's over."

"You okay?" He asked her in concern.

"I'm fine," She assured him, "Although I hit my head on the floor. I'll use an ice pack after I'm home."

After a few minutes, they were done, so they both stood up. "Here, I'll throw this out," Mandrake offered, but Shenzi stopped him.

"Wait! I'll do it," She grabbed the tray, "So you won't make a mess if you're bombarded by any other psychotic fangirls."

"You sure? If you're still hurt..."

"Don't worry, I'm good," She reassured, "I'll just be a minute." She walked to the nearest trash can, dumped everything off the tray, except the red basket, then came back to the table. "Okay, it's thrown out. Anyone try to shove their lips on you?" She giggled.

"No," He chuckled.

"Well uh, I hate to run off, but I'd better call my mom, and tell her to get me." After doing so, she hung up.

"Y'know, you're a really nice kid."

"I am?" She blushed.

"Yeah," He nodded, then gestured to her phone, "Can I see that for a minute?"

"O-okay," She gave it to him, and after a few seconds, he gave it back to her. "Thanks."

"Why don't you call me sometime, and we can just... talk? I just put my number in there."

"'Kay!" She nodded with a little eagerness. "Here, uh." She grabbed his phone, put her own number in, then gave it back. "There you go. But um... I'm only 12 years old."

"Oh, I'm not trying to get a date from you!" He assured her hastily. "I just think you'd be a good friend."

"Well, th-thanks," She stammered, her cheeks still flushed, "I think you'll be a good friend too." From the corner of her eye, she saw Maya come in through the entrance. "Oh, there's my mom. I'd better go."

"Okay," He nodded, "See you around, kid."

"You too," She then ran up to her mother, feeling more excited than she ever had been in her whole life. "Hey, Mom!"

"Hi, sweetie! How'd it go?" She smirked cheekily.

"It went great! I was the last in line, and they closed the event before I got my turn, but Mandrake convinced the security guard to let me in! And after I got his autograph, we had lunch together!"

"Ah," She nodded as she drove, "Wait, you had lunch with Mandrake? Wow! Where'd you go?"

"I recommended Chipotle to him in the food court," Shenzi replied, "He seemed to love it."

"Well, who doesn't?" Maya giggled.

"True," She shrugged, "I was pushed to the floor by a crazy fangirl, so I'll need the ice pack when we're home."

"What?! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom. Just a little sore. Oh, also, he gave me his phone number!"

"He what?" Maya asked in surprise.

"Yeah! He promised that he's not looking for a date with me, and I gave him my number! He said we could be friends!"

"Well that's great, honey, but be careful."

"I will."

"Oh, also, try to keep this under wraps at home when your father is around. You didn't tell Mandrake about him, did you?"

"No, I didn't," She shook her head, "It's still an uncomfortable subject. The only family question he asked me is if I have any siblings."

"Ah. I'm glad he didn't get too personal."

"Me too."

At home, Shenzi changed into her "Actually, I'm a Mermaid" pajamas with a purple long-sleeved shirt and blue scales-printed pants, along with Ariel scales slippers. As she sat in the living room, watching TV with a gel ice pack from the freezer tied to her head with a spare shirt, her phone rang and she answered. "Hey, Lil!"

"Hi, Shen! How'd the signing go?"

"It went great! At first, they closed it before I could get my turn, although I was last in line, but Mandrake convinced them to let me in. After I got his autograph, I had lunch with him!"

"Wow, that's so cool! Where'd you eat?"

"I recommended Chipotle to him, and he seemed to enjoy it."

"What'd you do after that?"

"We talked a little, then exchanged numbers," Shenzi added slyly.

"You did? Wow! Was he hoping you would date him? Isn't he like, a decade older than us?"

"He promised that he wasn't looking for a date. He just said that I'd be a good friend to him."

"Whoa, Shen. You have to be the luckiest person in our entire school! People will be all over you!"

"Yeah," She giggled, "Although... I'm not sure I would like that."

"Ohh," Lil understood without an explanation, "I'll keep this under wraps."

"Thanks. I'll tell Kimi to do that too."

"Sounds good. Well, I'd better go. It's almost supper time."

"Alright. I'll see you in school."

"You too."

Shenzi hung up, then selected Kimi's number, and received an answer. "Hey, Shenzi! How'd it go with Mandrake?"

"Good! We ate it at Chipotle after I suggested it, and he loved it!"

"That's understandable; their ingredients are so fresh!"

"Yep! After that, we talked a bit, and we exchanged numbers!"

"Whoa, really?! Is he looking for a date? He did break up with his girlfriend Venus recently."

"He promised that he's not. He just thinks we'd be good friends. So I'd better lug my bed out to the cemetery."

"That is so cool! You're the luckiest girl in our whole school!"

"Um, about that, can you not tell anyone at school? I don't want everyone bombarding me."

"No problem. Well, I can't stay for too long. I'm going out with Chuckie and our parents for supper." Chuckie Finster was Kimi's stepbrother, slightly older than both of them, and Shenzi usually spots him subtly making gaga eyes at her whenever she would visit. Although unfortunately for him, she wanted nothing more than friendship with him. If she did have a thing for him, then the song "Best Friend's Brother" from "Victorious" would suit the three of them. She had to admit, he was pretty easy on the eyes, but he just wasn't her type to date. She felt bad; he wasn't at fault, but that was how it was. He was a good friend to her, and she wouldn't risk ruining their friendship.

"Where are you going?"

"This cool sushi place Mom discovered."

"Nice! Well, I'll let you go. See you at school."

"You too." The two girls hung up, and after her eyes drooped, Shenzi turned the TV off, and flopped on the couch. She smiled as memories from the day flooded in her mind. Not only did she meet her favorite actor, she was now friends with him! She didn't think life would get any better than this. She was snapped out of her thoughts by a slap to the face; literally. "Ow!"

"Get off the couch!" Jack harshly commanded.

"O-okay," She almost whimpered, and jumped to the floor, then ran up to her room, holding the ice pack.

"Jack! What did you do?!" Maya yelled after seeing her daughter run upstairs fearfully.

She closed her door, and blocked out the argument by gazing around her room. It had dark pink walls, a soft, black carpet, a black desk for writing at, and slightly intimidating Akumu Ink portraits. Right in the middle was her now signed poster, which made her smile grow back. This was one of the best days of her life, and she was positive that she'll never forget it as long as she'll live. She remembered one little exchange they had:

 _"Um, no offense, but you're much nicer than I thought you would be."_

 _"It's my movie, isn't it?" Mandrake chuckled._

 _"Yeah," Shenzi admitted._

 _"Well like I said, you don't need to be scared of me."_

 _"I'm not, trust me," She giggled._

She looked at his number on her phone, and smiled at seeing his name. She never pictured herself befriending a celebrity, but now knew that it could happen. She was thinking of selecting his number when Maya called for her from the dining room. "Shenzi! Time to eat!"

"Okay, Mom!" She dashed downstairs, and smartly sat away from her father, as they ate mac-n-cheese, her taking a Lactaid for her lactose-entolerance. Considering it was a little hot, she didn't exactly want to face-plant into it. After finishing, she headed back to her room to think some more of her amazing day.

At a different house, Mandrake was lost in his thoughts after having dinner with Dagda. "How did the signing go, Dad?"

"Good," He replied, "Some girl tried to shove her tongue down my throat, but security took her away. Then I met this young girl last in the line. She was blocked by the closed sign, but I convinced the security guard to let her in, and he did. Then uh, I... had lunch with her."

"You had lunch with a young girl?" Dagda confirmed with surprise. "How old is she?"

"She's 12. After we ate, we exchanged numbers after I promised that I'm not looking for anything romantic with her."

"Ah," Dagda nodded, "What's she like?"

"She's really nice, but kind of shy. She was really nervous about meeting me."

"Well, people get nervous when meeting celebrities, Dad," Dagda smirked.

"I know," Mandrake chuckled.

"What's her name?"

"It's Shenzi Johnson."

"Shenzi? Interesting name. What is that, German?"

"I dunno, I didn't ask. I didn't want to ask her any personal questions, and make her feel uncomfortable. When we're better friends, I'll ask her."

"A'ight. Well, I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Have fun in there." When he was alone, Mandrake thought of his new friend. She seemed like a great kid; sweet, humble, modest. He figured that she had good parents that raised her right. Halfway, he was right, but on the other hand, he was oh so wrong.

* * *

 **(A/N: There's the first official chapter! You know the disclaimer. Just a little note, I know that "Shenzi" is a Swahili word. I just had Dagda guess that it's German.)**


	3. Halloween

**(I'm so sorry I took so long to update! Holidays and writer's block kept me otherwise occupied. Merry late Christmas, and enjoy!)**

* * *

 **Starstruck**

Ch. 2

* * *

On a certain night in late October, Shenzi changed into her Minnie Mouse witch costume, consisting of a black and purple flower tutu skirt, a short-sleeved cameo graphic t-shirt with cap sleeves, matching bone knee-high socks, a matching purple hoodie, black glitter poison apple stud earrings, a black and purple mini witch hat in her hair made of grosgrain ribbon, and black mid-calf sneakers with white laces. She also applied black eyeshadow around her eyes.

Since that fateful day in September, she and Mandrake have bonded very tightly. And soon enough, they exchanged e-mail addresses, and made a schedule to talk through video chat every night before she would go to bed. This quickly became a habit for both of them, and they enjoyed all their sessions, especially Shenzi.

Aside from Kimi, Lil, and Chuckie somewhat, she didn't have that many friends in school, if any at all. She was usually the target of bullying by a posse of popular girls, consisting of Savannah Shane, Brianna Penelope, Paris Perrin, and occasionally, Angelica Pickles. Though she is defended by her friends, including 13-year-old Susie Carmichael, that never stopped them from giving her a hard time. And it wasn't enough that they literally pushed her around; they aimed hurtful, personal insults at her, lowering her self-esteem every weekday. She always kept this to herself, so no one, not even Maya or Mandrake knew. She was afraid that the bullying would worsen if she told anyone, because whoever should find out would surely tell her school principal or superintendent.

After noticing that she had a few spare minutes before a party at her school, then trick-or-treating with her mother and friends, she practically jumped on her bed, turned her laptop, and requested a video chat. Not even 10 seconds passed, before Mandrake appeared on the screen. "Hey, kiddo."

"Hi!" She waved her hand. "What're you up to right now?"

"Dagda's getting dressed for a Halloween party I'm hosting, so I have a few spare minutes. What about you?"

"My school is having a Halloween party soon, so I also have a few free minutes. Then I'll be out trick-or-treating with my mom and friends from school. My costume is a Minnie Mouse witch!"

"Nice," He smirked.

"Thanks! What's yours?"

"Um... me," He chuckled sheepishly after glancing down at himself.

"Great costume," She giggled teasingly, with a "nailed it" hand gesture, "You look _exactly_ like your character."

"Well, thank you, Ms. Johnson."

The two friends shared a laugh for about half a minute, as Shenzi laid on her stomach, with her feet up. She didn't remember the last time a guy made her this happy. Truthfully, she had forgotten about her fangirl crush on Mandrake as their friendship blossomed. She now saw him as a good friend, not just some celebrity she formerly yearned to meet.

"Shenzi?" Mandrake waved his hand at the screen when she was staring into oblivion. "Did the thing freeze up?"

"Huh?" She blinked. "Oh, um, sorry."

"It's fine," He assured her, then tried to change the subject, "So, have you... ever been to those Disney parks?"

"Mm hmm," She nodded, "My mom and I go every year in the summer for a day, although my dad works a lot, unable to go. But he's fine with it. You?"

Mandrake noticed her hasty explanation about her father's situation, but mentally shrugged it off. He shouldn't be nosy, after all. "Not since Dagda was a kid."

"Ah," She nodded, "Um, you ever been there during Halloween, or Christmas?"

"Hmmm, I think we've been there both times, once each."

"Lucky duck," She remarked, smiling when he chuckled at her words, "I've always wanted to go at least for Christmas, although Halloween would be amazing too."

"Well, I'm sure you will someday."

"You really think so?"

"Yes I do."

"Shenzi! Are you ready?" Maya's voice called out from downstairs.

"I am, Mom! I'll be down in a second!" She replied, then turned back to her screen. "Sorry, I've gotta go."

"Alright," Mandrake nodded, "Have fun."

"Thanks, I will! See you tomorrow!"

"You too."

"Bye!" They both signed off, before Shenzi leaped out of bed, and ran down the stairs with her treat bag in hand. It was a bucket shaped like Minnie Mouse's head, as a pumpkin with a witch hat. "Okay Mom, I'm ready!"

"Well, don't you look adorable! Let's get you to your party." Maya led her daughter to the car, and they headed for the school, where the party was taking place.

l-l

"Well, here we are," Maya stopped in front of the school entrance, "Have fun! And call me when you're done!"

"I will, Mom! Thanks!" Shenzi jumped out of the car, and entered the building. She made a beeline for the gym, where she met her two friends. Kimi was dressed as nerdy Minnie Mouse, while Lil was a female, pastel-clad Mad Hatter. "Hey, you guys look great!"

"Thanks! You too!" Kimi complimented her back. She had on a white dress with a red necktie and suspenders on the red plaid skirt, a Minnie ears headband with a plaid bow matching the skirt, red and black costume glasses, Minnie ears dangling earrings, white fingerless gloves, black and white Mary Jane sneakers, red and white "I Heart Nerds" knee-high socks with red hearts and black letters, two red scrunchies, and a Minnie head bucket with a pink bow.

"You a Minnie Mouse witch?" Lil asked her. She wore a white shirt with a white and darker pink striped bow tie attached to it, a light pink bell-sleeve jacket, light blue floral shorts, a matching 10/6 hat, plain white tights, light pink knee-high gogo boots, a turquoise hair extension, and a plush black cat bucket.

"Yep!"

"Um, h-hey Shenzi," She heard Chuckie's timid greeting.

"Hi, Chuck- oh!" She couldn't hold back her surprised reaction. Chuckie was dressed as his favorite comic book hero, Armadillo Dave, and she had to admit, it was quite a likeness. "N-nice costume."

"You really think so?" He adjusted his glasses. "Thanks. I uh, I made it myself."

"You _made_ that?!" Her eyes widened, unintentionally raising her voice. "Wow! I wish I could sew like that! You're really good!"

"Thanks. Maybe sometime, I can teach you," He offered with a modest shrug, "My treat."

"That sounds great! Thanks!"

"A-anytime. I'll call you when I'm not busy. So uh, what's your costume?"

"I'm a Minnie Mouse witch," She replied, "I bought the shirt, skirt, hoodie and bag at the World of Disney, but my mom made the little hat."

"Well, you um, you look very pretty."

"Thanks," She blushed.

"Alright, you little dress-up dolls!" Max Banks, the eccentric, but fun 6th-grade history teacher, began an announcement. "It's that special time of the night! Grab a partner, and get down on the dance floor!"

"Um, Shenzi?" Chuckie turned to her again. "You want to dance with me?"

"Mm," She glanced at Kimi, who shrugged with a smirk, then turned back to the redhead, "Okay, sure!" They joined some other students at a roped area, and started dancing together to "This is Halloween" playing from the speakers.

At one point after a minute or two, one student was going a little crazy; he bumped into Chuckie without realizing it, so he started falling back. "Oh!" Shenzi grabbed his hands to help him stay up, but ended up falling face-down on his chest. Her cheeks blushed red when her nose was less than an inch away from touching his.

Kimi turned back, and was amused at what she saw. "Uh, guys?" She kneeled down next to them with a smirk. "If you want privacy, just go out in the hall."

"Oh, we weren't..." Chuckie started.

"Yeah, we just fell," Shenzi helped him stand up, and they smartly moved to a more calm area on the dance floor. Chuckie secretly wished that he had been bold enough to move his head up just a little more and kiss her when she was barely an inch away. Of course, if he did that, he would've scared her off; not to mention Kimi would be angry at him for "mooching" on her best friend, despite being aware of his feelings for the bespectacled girl.

Lil couldn't help but feel jealousy as she witnessed the scene. She just so happened to have a crush on Chuckie, but knew that he had eyes for Shenzi. He would never see her like that, ever.

As she danced, Shenzi couldn't help but wonder: ' _How is Mandrake's party going?_ '

At a moderately-sized mansion, a huge Halloween party was in full swing. "Hey, Dad! We got any beer?" Dagda, clad in his movie costume, asked Mandrake.

"No, sorry," He replied, "One of us is a little underage, right MK?" He teasingly patted MK Joyce's head like she was a child.

"Ha-ha-ha," She playfully sneered, wearing her main movie outfit with a black witch hat for a festive flare.

When Mandrake looked at the kitchen table, he saw his ex-girlfriend, Venus Woods sitting very closely with one of the extras from the movie, Finn Wilson. She was giggling as he was feeding her small pieces of candy, both of them clad in matching Leafman armor, her not wearing a helmet. "How're you doing with them being all sappy together?" Nod Hutcherson asked Mandrake.

"I'm fine," He answered honestly, "I mean, she's much happier with him, and I'm ready to move on myself."

"Good," The brunette boy nodded, and grimaced when Venus lifted Finn's helmet up a bit, and planted a full kiss on his lips. "Ugh, I could puke."

"Oh, grow up, Nod," Mandrake rolled his eyes.

Venus' twin sister, Mars was eating a festive chocolate cupcake, dressed up as Ariel in her blue dress, with black patent ballet flats, a large blue bow on the back of her head, and her favorite earrings, which were black circles with one red rose on each of them. Her ruby red eyes were timid under her thick, black and red eyeglasses, as her gaze was locked on a certain someone: Bomba Joyce, MK's dad in the movie, and in real life. She met the cast of the movie after Venus started dating Mandrake, and when she saw Bomba, it was love at first sight. She just wondered if he felt the same way about her.

Mandrake was now on the couch in front of the TV, which had "The Nightmare Before Christmas" playing, one of his new friend's favorite movies. Speaking of which... ' _I wonder how Shenzi is doing?_ ' He thought to himself.

At the school, Shenzi was now at the food table, feeling tired from dancing. She was eating one of the red velvet cupcakes brought/made by Lil, as she watched the students dance or mingle. She was looking forward to trick-or-treating around the neighborhood with her mother and friends after the party would end.

Time flew quickly, and before long, she and her friends gathered at her front door with Maya, who was in a Snow White costume. "Okay kids, we ready to go?"

"Yeah!" They all exclaimed simultaneously, all of them excited.

"Let's get to it then!" She started leading them down the sidewalk, as the kids talked amongst themselves.

l-l

Before long, everyone was back in their respective homes, feeling tired from roaming the neighborhood. Shenzi was in her Minnie Mouse Halloween pajamas, consisting of a shirt with long, black and white striped sleeves and an orange collar and cuffs, and orange pants with white polka dots. On her feet were black socks with pumpkins in orange, green, and purple. After finishing her dinner, she jumped on her bed, and started her short routine in turning on her laptop and requesting a video chat with a certain someone. "Hi!" She greeted Mandrake after seeing him on the screen.

"Hey kiddo," He greeted her back.

"How'd your party go?"

"It went good," He replied, "All of the main cast from my movie were here."

"Oh, cool!"

"Yeah. And plus, that guy Finn came per request from Venus."

"I think I remember him! He's Ronin's second-in-command with orange hair, right?"

"That's him. He and Venus started going out a while after she and I broke up."

"Ah," She nodded, "How're you doing on that?"

"Good," He assured her, "Although... they were being a little mushy," He chuckled, as she giggled.

"A lot of couples are like that."

"True. But still, she seems to be very happy with him, and I myself am ready to move on."

"That's good," She nodded, "But not with...?" She gestured to herself awkwardly.

"No," He replied with a head shake.

"Okay," She nodded again, "'Cause..."

"Yeah."

"'Kay."

There was some silence for a moment, before Mandrake broke it. "So how was your night?"

"It was fun! After the school party, my friends and I gathered at my house, and my mom led us around the neighborhood for candy!"

"That sounds nice," Mandrake nodded, "No one tried to scare you, right?"

"Actually once, yeah, some teenagers tried, but Mom managed to scare them off," Shenzi giggled.

"That's good," His smile grew, "Well, I'm glad you had fun with your friends."

"I'm glad you did too, with your friends and cast mates," She nodded, "Were there any... guests from outside your movie?"

"Other than Venus, just one: Her twin sister, Mars. And I'm pretty sure she has a little... _thing_ for MK's dad. I caught her staring without her knowing."

"Really? That's cool! You think they'll get together?"

"It's hard to say," He shrugged, "She's really shy, especially around anyone she likes... like that."

"Ah," She nodded, "Well um, I'd better get ready for bed."

"Alright. G'night, kid. See you tomorrow."

"You too!" She waved her hand a bit. "Bye!" They both signed off, and she bounded out of bed to brush her teeth.

* * *

 **(A/N: Well, there it is. You know the disclaimer. Hope this was worth the wait! Also, as of December 28th, 2017, I've had my plush AGU Chuckie for a whole. Entire. Year! O,O Time flies!)**


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